HERE WE GO A' TOURISTING...... SINGAPORE

Off to Singapore to renew our visas. Every three months we and all other Americans serving here make the trip to Singapore. We have to leave the country entriely and stay away for awhile and then we can come back and get new visas again. We don't mind, it is a nice break and we get to see civilization for a few days again. Some couple get to live in this type of place! Imagine that. Their whole expeereince is so very different from our's. I guess that is what makes it all so very interesting. A couple that served in our position two couples ago now serve in a temple mission in South America in a big city. Other friends of our's from the MTC are in Katmandou, Nepal. And you think we were in the outer reaches of the world.  They don't always even have heat or electricity.

 We took a river cruise one evening which ran right through the middle of the city. We took some beautiful pictures. These are the type of boats we were in.

 We got to see an Egyptian Mummy exhibit. 

This little 2"  ivory lady is over 6000 years old. 

Amazing that we are able to see something that old.

                                                Egyptian exhibit at the National Museum of Singapore.

                                                  Bill and Ellen on an evening Singapore River Cruise.

 China Town was very colorful. It did pour down rain on us. We just stopped along with everyone else in a little cafe and had a soft drink and waited it out.

                                  Close up of the top of the new hotel/casino/event center.

          The hotel on the left with the funny shape is where we stayed several of our trips. 

It is the Oriental Mandarin. 

                                  Singapore is noted for it's tremendous archetecture designs.

                                  This is the Merlion in the harbour that greets all the ships.

This is the Chinese Herb shop or medical shop. There are alot of these and are very popular.

 In front of the oldest hotel in town.

                                                                   Singapore at dusk

 One crazy building. We hope we get to see theis completed. Looks right now like a submarine on top. They are planting palm trees and gardens up there!

One Big City!

This next week we head over to Tawau to meet with a Rotary Club to investigate their ongoing health projects. They have had it in place for over 15 years and serve over 2000 people a year in the jungles. They have approached us about helping them. They flew over just to meet us and we are now returning the visit.

The following week we fly back over to east Malaysia to visit some islands and nomadic fisherman. There are about 50,000 of these fisherman and their families that follow the schools of fish alll over the ocean. They base themselves on some islands and are doing without very much water a t all. We are looking to partner with them and the World Wide Wild animal federation. We will travel about one hour to these islands and investigate the possibilites of providing help for them.

  

     It is Dad's birthday today.  He would been 94 years old.  Right?  I often think about him and wonder what he would have thought about this place and the things we see and do here in Malaysia.  I think he would have loved it.  He had a curiosity about natural sciences and the world he lived in and there are certainly many interesting things to see here.  But it would have been too far from home for him to feel comfortable for very long.

     

     We  had a good weekend.  Friday evening was a baptism for a woman of about 35 to 40.  It is difficult to tell the age of women here.  Sometimes I just ask them how old they are.  That is not considered a sensitive question here.  Everyone has asked me how old I am (and they are amazed at how old I am).  Anyway, Rosnani is the mother of 5, the oldest about 18.  In February her husband, Mojindul, and 3 teenage daughters were baptized.  Their daughters are named Becky, Betsy, and Betty.  Their son is not yet 8 and they have another teenage son.  Last week we visited this family at their home so that Bill could do the interview for baptism.  They live on the 4th floor of a large cement apartment building in a tiny 3 room apartment.   It is remarkable to work with these investigators and new members because the gospel means so much to them.  They feel the Holy Ghost in their lives and they are so happy.  

      Saturday was Branch Fellow-shipping night.  Each auxiliary or quorum takes a turn hosting and planning the fellow shipping.  This one was the Elders' Quorum and so it was geared for the young adults.  They had 2 of the young missionaries speak---the two who were transfered out today (one went home)---and then they played some games.  They did the limbo and you have never seen young people have so much fun with some music and a broom stick!  Then they played charades.  Bill and I held a broom stick and then we set up the food while they continued playing.  They have such fun together---the Chinese, Kaduzandunsun, Indian, Philippino, Iban, and whatever blend they are.  It was a potluck so there was quite a variety of food.  Always rice and noodles, then some chicken, vegetables, my largest soup kettle of spaghetti with meatballs and cakes.  They love cakes but most do not have ovens.  Most of the women here cook just with propane cook top with 1 or 2 burners.  Most don't have an oven or a microwave.  They usually have a refrigerator but they are quite small because they shop for fresh things nearly every day and small is adequate.  Until recently, electrical service has been sporadic with regular 'shut down' of electricity.  Electricity is also very expensive.  

     Sunday was our regular branch meetings which start at 8:30 am for us.  We both attend presidency meetings before the block which begins at 10 am.  Just before Sacrament meeting the RS secretary let me know that none of the presidency would be there and so what should she do?  So I taught the lesson and one of the counselors did come so it was OK.  It amuses me to think about how we work on a RS lesson at home in America.  It takes us weeks to do it right.  Here, we had a great discussion about the Fall of Adam and Eve.  They are not used to participating in a classroom discussion.  In their school system it is all lecture and recitation.  But we managed to have quite a lively discussion.  Most of the members belonged to the RC or Anglican church before baptism and they were taught quite a different thing about 'original sin'.  

     Also, on Sunday, someone from the branch was sustained as the branch librarian and to be in charge of curriculum and ordering magazines and materials.  The ordering had became my responsibility when the other couple left.  In our effort to make them independent they need to do that, so now they do.  One more little step.  

     We are also working with 3 young men who have received mission calls.  I believe I have mentioned them before now.  One of the young men has 2 older brothers who have served missions.  Another is quite smart with good English and family to help him.  The third. . . Kelven is going to London, England, to the MTC and that mission.  His English is marginal.  His family are reluctant to let him go and are not supporting him financially.  He lives in the kampung with his family during the week and works on his family's rubber farm.  He does not know how to DO something on his own initiative.  He has to purchase clothing and he doesn't know how to do that.  He has to obtain records, get vaccinations, etc. and he just doesn't know how to do it.  We plan to make a list of what he needs to do each week and help him know how to do it.  We can't do it for him.  He was here the other day working on a letter to the British Consulate.  I helped him with the grammar and spelling, typed it up and then asked him to sign his name.  He signed only his first name.  He didn't know how to write his family name.  I wrote it out for him and he practiced for a while and did it.  In a few months he won't have a senior couple helping him, rather he will have a companion who we hope is compassionate and kind to him but makes him do things for himself.